Gas Bearing Plate with integrated OVJP vacuum source
Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a system having at least one carrier gas source, at least one heated container that includes organic material, and a jet array print head that includes a plurality of apertures to print lines on a substrate, and that is connected to a vacuum source. The system includes a pair of gas bearing plates, with a top gas bearing plate and a bottom gas bearing plate, each having a plurality of pressure apertures and vacuum apertures. The top gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate, and the bottom gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate. The top gas bearing plate includes a slot configured for the print head to fit within. The vacuum apertures are arranged perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/217,737, filed Jul. 1, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe present invention relates to an Organic Vapor Jet Printing (OVJP) device having pressure-vacuum (P-V) air bearings for fabricating organic emissive devices, such as organic light emitting diodes, and devices and techniques including the same.
BACKGROUNDOpto-electronic devices that make use of organic materials are becoming increasingly desirable for a number of reasons. Many of the materials used to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic opto-electronic devices have the potential for cost advantages over inorganic devices. In addition, the inherent properties of organic materials, such as their flexibility, may make them well suited for particular applications such as fabrication on a flexible substrate. Examples of organic opto-electronic devices include organic light emitting diodes/devices (OLEDs), organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. For OLEDs, the organic materials may have performance advantages over conventional materials. For example, the wavelength at which an organic emissive layer emits light may generally be readily tuned with appropriate dopants.
OLEDs make use of thin organic films that emit light when voltage is applied across the device. OLEDs are becoming an increasingly interesting technology for use in applications such as flat panel displays, illumination, and backlighting. Several OLED materials and configurations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and 5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
One application for phosphorescent emissive molecules is a full color display. Industry standards for such a display call for pixels adapted to emit particular colors, referred to as “saturated” colors. In particular, these standards call for saturated red, green, and blue pixels. Alternatively the OLED can be designed to emit white light. In conventional liquid crystal displays emission from a white backlight is filtered using absorption filters to produce red, green and blue emission. The same technique can also be used with OLEDs. The white OLED can be either a single EML device or a stack structure. Color may be measured using CIE coordinates, which are well known to the art.
As used herein, the term “organic” includes polymeric materials as well as small molecule organic materials that may be used to fabricate organic opto-electronic devices. “Small molecule” refers to any organic material that is not a polymer, and “small molecules” may actually be quite large. Small molecules may include repeat units in some circumstances. For example, using a long chain alkyl group as a substituent does not remove a molecule from the “small molecule” class. Small molecules may also be incorporated into polymers, for example as a pendent group on a polymer backbone or as a part of the backbone. Small molecules may also serve as the core moiety of a dendrimer, which consists of a series of chemical shells built on the core moiety. The core moiety of a dendrimer may be a fluorescent or phosphorescent small molecule emitter. A dendrimer may be a “small molecule,” and it is believed that all dendrimers currently used in the field of OLEDs are small molecules.
As used herein, “top” means furthest away from the substrate, while “bottom” means closest to the substrate. Where a first layer is described as “disposed over” a second layer, the first layer is disposed further away from substrate. There may be other layers between the first and second layer, unless it is specified that the first layer is “in contact with” the second layer. For example, a cathode may be described as “disposed over” an anode, even though there are various organic layers in between.
As used herein, “solution processible” means capable of being dissolved, dispersed, or transported in and/or deposited from a liquid medium, either in solution or suspension form.
A ligand may be referred to as “photoactive” when it is believed that the ligand directly contributes to the photoactive properties of an emissive material. A ligand may be referred to as “ancillary” when it is believed that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactive properties of an emissive material, although an ancillary ligand may alter the properties of a photoactive ligand.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first “Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital” (HOMO) or “Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital” (LUMO) energy level is “greater than” or “higher than” a second HOMO or LUMO energy level if the first energy level is closer to the vacuum energy level. Since ionization potentials (IP) are measured as a negative energy relative to a vacuum level, a higher HOMO energy level corresponds to an IP having a smaller absolute value (an IP that is less negative). Similarly, a higher LUMO energy level corresponds to an electron affinity (EA) having a smaller absolute value (an EA that is less negative). On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, the LUMO energy level of a material is higher than the HOMO energy level of the same material. A “higher” HOMO or LUMO energy level appears closer to the top of such a diagram than a “lower” HOMO or LUMO energy level.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first work function is “greater than” or “higher than” a second work function if the first work function has a higher absolute value. Because work functions are generally measured as negative numbers relative to vacuum level, this means that a “higher” work function is more negative. On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, a “higher” work function is illustrated as further away from the vacuum level in the downward direction. Thus, the definitions of HOMO and LUMO energy levels follow a different convention than work functions.
Layers, materials, regions, and devices may be described herein in reference to the color of light they emit. In general, as used herein, an emissive region that is described as producing a specific color of light may include one or more emissive layers disposed over each other in a stack.
As used herein, a “red” layer, material, region, or device refers to one that emits light in the range of about 580-700 nm or having a highest peak in its emission spectrum in that region. Similarly, a “green” layer, material, region, or device refers to one that emits or has an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 500-600 nm; a “blue” layer, material, or device refers to one that emits or has an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 400-500 nm; and a “yellow” layer, material, region, or device refers to one that has an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 540-600 nm. In some arrangements, separate regions, layers, materials, regions, or devices may provide separate “deep blue” and a “light blue” light. As used herein, in arrangements that provide separate “light blue” and “deep blue”, the “deep blue” component refers to one having a peak emission wavelength that is at least about 4 nm less than the peak emission wavelength of the “light blue” component. Typically, a “light blue” component has a peak emission wavelength in the range of about 465-500 nm, and a “deep blue” component has a peak emission wavelength in the range of about 400-470 nm, though these ranges may vary for some configurations. Similarly, a color altering layer refers to a layer that converts or modifies another color of light to light having a wavelength as specified for that color. For example, a “red” color filter refers to a filter that results in light having a wavelength in the range of about 580-700 nm. In general, there are two classes of color altering layers: color filters that modify a spectrum by removing unwanted wavelengths of light, and color changing layers that convert photons of higher energy to lower energy. A component “of a color” refers to a component that, when activated or used, produces or otherwise emits light having a particular color as previously described. For example, a “first emissive region of a first color” and a “second emissive region of a second color different than the first color” describes two emissive regions that, when activated within a device, emit two different colors as previously described.
As used herein, emissive materials, layers, and regions may be distinguished from one another and from other structures based upon light initially generated by the material, layer or region, as opposed to light eventually emitted by the same or a different structure. The initial light generation typically is the result of an energy level change resulting in emission of a photon. For example, an organic emissive material may initially generate blue light, which may be converted by a color filter, quantum dot or other structure to red or green light, such that a complete emissive stack or sub-pixel emits the red or green light. In this case the initial emissive material or layer may be referred to as a “blue” component, even though the sub-pixel is a “red” or “green” component.
In some cases, it may be preferable to describe the color of a component such as an emissive region, sub-pixel, color altering layer, or the like, in terms of 1931 CIE coordinates. For example, a yellow emissive material may have multiple peak emission wavelengths, one in or near an edge of the “green” region, and one within or near an edge of the “red” region as previously described. Accordingly, as used herein, each color term also corresponds to a shape in the 1931 CIE coordinate color space. The shape in 1931 CIE color space is constructed by following the locus between two color points and any additional interior points. For example, interior shape parameters for red, green, blue, and yellow may be defined as shown below:
More details on OLEDs, and the definitions described above, can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
SUMMARYAccording to an embodiment, an organic light emitting diode/device (OLED) is also provided. The OLED can include an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode. According to an embodiment, the organic light emitting device is incorporated into one or more device selected from a consumer product, an electronic component module, and/or a lighting panel.
According to an embodiment, a system may include at least one carrier gas source, at least one heated container that includes organic material, and a jet array print head that includes a plurality of apertures to print lines on a substrate, and that is connected to a vacuum source. The system may include a plurality of gas lines that are communicatively coupled the at least one carrier gas source, the at least one heated container, and the jet array print head. The carrier gas may transmit the organic material through the gas lines to the jet array print head that contains the jetting apertures. The system may include a pair of gas bearing plates, including a top gas bearing plate and a bottom gas bearing plate, each having a plurality of pressure apertures and vacuum apertures. The top gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate, and the bottom gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate. The top gas bearing plate may include a slot configured for the print head to fit within. The vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates may be arranged perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate.
The pressure apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates are arranged in a pattern that is 45 degree from the vacuum apertures.
The pair of gas bearing plates are comprised of at least one of metal, ceramic, and/or silicon carbide.
The pressure apertures and exhaust apertures are arranged on the pair of gas bearing plates in an alternating pattern that runs parallel to at least one edge of each of the pair of gas bearing plates.
A width of the slot may be 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, 15 mm of less, 10 mm or less, 8 mm or less, and/or 5 mm or less.
A flatness of the substrate disposed between the top gas bearing plate and the bottom gas bearing plate may be less than 10 μm, less than 5 μm, less than 2 μm, and/or less than 1 μm.
The jet array print head may include a print die, and a gas manifold with an embedded heater that is coupled to a heated injection block. The injection block may be coupled to a device to control a gap between the jet array print head and the substrate. The injection block may include an interface to a gas and vacuum distribution network. The system may include (i) insulation disposed on outer surfaces of the gas manifold and the embedded heater, and/or (ii) an active cooling device configured to cool a volume surrounding the heated gas manifold.
A first spacing distance between each of the vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates may be the same as a second spacing distance between each of the pressure apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates. The first spacing between the vacuum apertures or the second spacing of the pressure apertures in the pair of gas bearing plates may be 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, 15 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 8 mm or less, 6 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 4 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 2 mm or less, and/or 1 mm or less.
The print head may be an organic vapor jet printing (OVJP) print head.
According to an embodiment, a consumer electronic device fabricated using the system that may include at least one carrier gas source, at least one heated container that includes organic material, and a jet array print head that includes a plurality of apertures to print lines on a substrate, and that is connected to a vacuum source. The system may include a plurality of gas lines that are communicatively coupled the at least one carrier gas source, the at least one heated container, and the jet array print head. The carrier gas may transmit the organic material through the gas lines to the jet array print head that contains the jetting apertures. The system may include a pair of gas bearing plates, including a top gas bearing plate and a bottom gas bearing plate, each having a plurality of pressure apertures and vacuum apertures. The top gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate, and the bottom gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate. The top gas bearing plate may include a slot configured for the print head to fit within. The vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates may be arranged perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate.
The device may at least one of a flat panel display, a curved display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a light for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, a heads-up display, a fully or partially transparent display, a flexible display, a rollable display, a foldable display, a stretchable display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, tablet, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display that is less than 2 inches diagonal, a 3-D display, a virtual reality or augmented reality display, a vehicle, a video walls comprising multiple displays tiled together, a theater or stadium screen, and/or a sign.
Generally, an OLED comprises at least one organic layer disposed between and electrically connected to an anode and a cathode. When a current is applied, the anode injects holes and the cathode injects electrons into the organic layer(s). The injected holes and electrons each migrate toward the oppositely charged electrode. When an electron and hole localize on the same molecule, an “exciton,” which is a localized electron-hole pair having an excited energy state, is formed. Light is emitted when the exciton relaxes via a photoemissive mechanism. In some cases, the exciton may be localized on an excimer or an exciplex. Non-radiative mechanisms, such as thermal relaxation, may also occur, but are generally considered undesirable.
The initial OLEDs used emissive molecules that emitted light from their singlet states (“fluorescence”) as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,292, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Fluorescent emission generally occurs in a time frame of less than 10 nanoseconds.
More recently, OLEDs having emissive materials that emit light from triplet states (“phosphorescence”) have been demonstrated. Baldo et al., “Highly Efficient Phosphorescent Emission from Organic Electroluminescent Devices,” Nature, vol. 395, 151-154, 1998; (“Baldo-I”) and Baldo et al., “Very high-efficiency green organic light-emitting devices based on electrophosphorescence,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 75, No. 3, 4-6 (1999) (“Baldo-II”), are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Phosphorescence is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704 at cols. 5-6, which are incorporated by reference.
More examples for each of these layers are available. For example, a flexible and transparent substrate-anode combination is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,363, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of a p-doped hole transport layer is m-MTDATA doped with F4-TCNQ at a molar ratio of 50:1, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Examples of emissive and host materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,238 to Thompson et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of an n-doped electron transport layer is BPhen doped with Li at a molar ratio of 1:1, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,703,436 and 5,707,745, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, disclose examples of cathodes including compound cathodes having a thin layer of metal such as Mg:Ag with an overlying transparent, electrically-conductive, sputter-deposited ITO layer. The theory and use of blocking layers is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,147 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0230980, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Examples of injection layers are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0174116, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Barrier layer 170 may be a single- or multi-layer barrier and may cover or surround the other layers of the device. The barrier layer 170 may also surround the substrate 110, and/or it may be arranged between the substrate and the other layers of the device. The barrier also may be referred to as an encapsulant, encapsulation layer, protective layer, or permeation barrier, and typically provides protection against permeation by moisture, ambient air, and other similar materials through to the other layers of the device. Examples of barrier layer materials and structures are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,537,688, 6,597,111, 6,664,137, 6,835,950, 6,888,305, 6,888,307, 6,897,474, 7,187,119, and 7,683,534, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The simple layered structure illustrated in
Structures and materials not specifically described may also be used, such as OLEDs comprised of polymeric materials (PLEDs) such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,190 to Friend et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. By way of further example, OLEDs having a single organic layer may be used. OLEDs may be stacked, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,745 to Forrest et al, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The OLED structure may deviate from the simple layered structure illustrated in
In some embodiments disclosed herein, emissive layers or materials, such as emissive layer 135 and emissive layer 220 shown in
Unless otherwise specified, any of the layers of the various embodiments may be deposited by any suitable method. For the organic layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation, ink-jet, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,013,982 and 6,087,196, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD), such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,102 to Forrest et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, and deposition by organic vapor jet printing (OVJP), such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,968, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other suitable deposition methods include spin coating and other solution based processes. Solution based processes are preferably carried out in nitrogen or an inert atmosphere. For the other layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation. Preferred patterning methods include deposition through a mask, cold welding such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,294,398 and 6,468,819, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, and patterning associated with some of the deposition methods such as ink-jet and OVJD. Other methods may also be used. The materials to be deposited may be modified to make them compatible with a particular deposition method. For example, substituents such as alkyl and aryl groups, branched or unbranched, and preferably containing at least 3 carbons, may be used in small molecules to enhance their ability to undergo solution processing. Substituents having 20 carbons or more may be used, and 3-20 carbons is a preferred range. Materials with asymmetric structures may have better solution processability than those having symmetric structures, because asymmetric materials may have a lower tendency to recrystallize. Dendrimer substituents may be used to enhance the ability of small molecules to undergo solution processing.
Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may further optionally comprise a barrier layer. One purpose of the barrier layer is to protect the electrodes and organic layers from damaging exposure to harmful species in the environment including moisture, vapor and/or gases, etc. The barrier layer may be deposited over, under or next to a substrate, an electrode, or over any other parts of a device including an edge. The barrier layer may comprise a single layer, or multiple layers. The barrier layer may be formed by various known chemical vapor deposition techniques and may include compositions having a single phase as well as compositions having multiple phases. Any suitable material or combination of materials may be used for the barrier layer. The barrier layer may incorporate an inorganic or an organic compound or both. The preferred barrier layer comprises a mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric material as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,968,146, PCT Pat. Application Nos. PCT/US2007/023098 and PCT/US2009/042829, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. To be considered a “mixture”, the aforesaid polymeric and non-polymeric materials comprising the barrier layer should be deposited under the same reaction conditions and/or at the same time. The weight ratio of polymeric to non-polymeric material may be in the range of 95:5 to 5:95. The polymeric material and the non-polymeric material may be created from the same precursor material. In one example, the mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric material consists essentially of polymeric silicon and inorganic silicon.
In some embodiments, at least one of the anode, the cathode, or a new layer disposed over the organic emissive layer functions as an enhancement layer. The enhancement layer comprises a plasmonic material exhibiting surface plasmon resonance that non-radiatively couples to the emitter material and transfers excited state energy from the emitter material to non-radiative mode of surface plasmon polariton. The enhancement layer is provided no more than a threshold distance away from the organic emissive layer, wherein the emitter material has a total non-radiative decay rate constant and a total radiative decay rate constant due to the presence of the enhancement layer and the threshold distance is where the total non-radiative decay rate constant is equal to the total radiative decay rate constant. In some embodiments, the OLED further comprises an outcoupling layer. In some embodiments, the outcoupling layer is disposed over the enhancement layer on the opposite side of the organic emissive layer. In some embodiments, the outcoupling layer is disposed on opposite side of the emissive layer from the enhancement layer but still outcouples energy from the surface plasmon mode of the enhancement layer. The outcoupling layer scatters the energy from the surface plasmon polaritons. In some embodiments this energy is scattered as photons to free space. In other embodiments, the energy is scattered from the surface plasmon mode into other modes of the device such as but not limited to the organic waveguide mode, the substrate mode, or another waveguiding mode. If energy is scattered to the non-free space mode of the OLED other outcoupling schemes could be incorporated to extract that energy to free space. In some embodiments, one or more intervening layer can be disposed between the enhancement layer and the outcoupling layer. The examples for interventing layer(s) can be dielectric materials, including organic, inorganic, perovskites, oxides, and may include stacks and/or mixtures of these materials.
The enhancement layer modifies the effective properties of the medium in which the emitter material resides resulting in any or all of the following: a decreased rate of emission, a modification of emission line-shape, a change in emission intensity with angle, a change in the stability of the emitter material, a change in the efficiency of the OLED, and reduced efficiency roll-off of the OLED device. Placement of the enhancement layer on the cathode side, anode side, or on both sides results in OLED devices which take advantage of any of the above-mentioned effects. In addition to the specific functional layers mentioned herein and illustrated in the various OLED examples shown in the figures, the OLEDs according to the present disclosure may include any of the other functional layers often found in OLEDs.
The enhancement layer can be comprised of plasmonic materials, optically active metamaterials, or hyperbolic metamaterials. As used herein, a plasmonic material is a material in which the real part of the dielectric constant crosses zero in the visible or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some embodiments, the plasmonic material includes at least one metal. In such embodiments the metal may include at least one of Ag, Al, Au, Ir, Pt, Ni, Cu, W, Ta, Fe, Cr, Mg, Ga, Rh, Ti, Ru, Pd, In, Bi, Ca alloys or mixtures of these materials, and stacks of these materials. In general, a metamaterial is a medium composed of different materials where the medium as a whole acts differently than the sum of its material parts. In particular, we define optically active metamaterials as materials which have both negative permittivity and negative permeability. Hyperbolic metamaterials, on the other hand, are anisotropic media in which the permittivity or permeability are of different sign for different spatial directions. Optically active metamaterials and hyperbolic metamaterials are strictly distinguished from many other photonic structures such as Distributed Bragg Reflectors (“DBRs”) in that the medium should appear uniform in the direction of propagation on the length scale of the wavelength of light. Using terminology that one skilled in the art can understand: the dielectric constant of the metamaterials in the direction of propagation can be described with the effective medium approximation. Plasmonic materials and metamaterials provide methods for controlling the propagation of light that can enhance OLED performance in a number of ways.
In some embodiments, the enhancement layer is provided as a planar layer. In other embodiments, the enhancement layer has wavelength-sized features that are arranged periodically, quasi-periodically, or randomly, or sub-wavelength-sized features that are arranged periodically, quasi-periodically, or randomly. In some embodiments, the wavelength-sized features and the sub-wavelength-sized features have sharp edges.
In some embodiments, the outcoupling layer has wavelength-sized features that are arranged periodically, quasi-periodically, or randomly, or sub-wavelength-sized features that are arranged periodically, quasi-periodically, or randomly. In some embodiments, the outcoupling layer may be composed of a plurality of nanoparticles and in other embodiments the outcoupling layer is composed of a plurality of nanoparticles disposed over a material. In these embodiments the outcoupling may be tunable by at least one of varying a size of the plurality of nanoparticles, varying a shape of the plurality of nanoparticles, changing a material of the plurality of nanoparticles, adjusting a thickness of the material, changing the refractive index of the material or an additional layer disposed on the plurality of nanoparticles, varying a thickness of the enhancement layer, and/or varying the material of the enhancement layer. The plurality of nanoparticles of the device may be formed from at least one of metal, dielectric material, semiconductor materials, an alloy of metal, a mixture of dielectric materials, a stack or layering of one or more materials, and/or a core of one type of material and that is coated with a shell of a different type of material. In some embodiments, the outcoupling layer is composed of at least metal nanoparticles wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, Au, Ir, Pt, Ni, Cu, W, Ta, Fe, Cr, Mg, Ga, Rh, Ti, Ru, Pd, In, Bi, Ca, alloys or mixtures of these materials, and stacks of these materials. The plurality of nanoparticles may have additional layer disposed over them. In some embodiments, the polarization of the emission can be tuned using the outcoupling layer. Varying the dimensionality and periodicity of the outcoupling layer can select a type of polarization that is preferentially outcoupled to air. In some embodiments the outcoupling layer also acts as an electrode of the device.
It is believed that the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of fluorescent OLEDs can exceed the 25% spin statistics limit through delayed fluorescence. As used herein, there are two types of delayed fluorescence, i.e. P-type delayed fluorescence and E-type delayed fluorescence. P-type delayed fluorescence is generated from triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA).
On the other hand, E-type delayed fluorescence does not rely on the collision of two triplets, but rather on the thermal population between the triplet states and the singlet excited states. Compounds that are capable of generating E-type delayed fluorescence are required to have very small singlet-triplet gaps. Thermal energy can activate the transition from the triplet state back to the singlet state. This type of delayed fluorescence is also known as thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). A distinctive feature of TADF is that the delayed component increases as temperature rises due to the increased thermal energy. If the reverse intersystem crossing rate is fast enough to minimize the non-radiative decay from the triplet state, the fraction of back populated singlet excited states can potentially reach 75%. The total singlet fraction can be 100%, far exceeding the spin statistics limit for electrically generated excitons.
E-type delayed fluorescence characteristics can be found in an exciplex system or in a single compound. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that E-type delayed fluorescence requires the luminescent material to have a small singlet-triplet energy gap (AES-T). Organic, non-metal containing, donor-acceptor luminescent materials may be able to achieve this. The emission in these materials is often characterized as a donor-acceptor charge-transfer (CT) type emission. The spatial separation of the HOMO and LUMO in these donor-acceptor type compounds often results in small AES-T. These states may involve CT states. Often, donor-acceptor luminescent materials are constructed by connecting an electron donor moiety such as amino- or carbazole-derivatives and an electron acceptor moiety such as N-containing six-membered aromatic ring.
Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be incorporated into a wide variety of electronic component modules (or units) that can be incorporated into a variety of electronic products or intermediate components. Examples of such electronic products or intermediate components include display screens, lighting devices such as discrete light source devices or lighting panels, etc. that can be utilized by the end-user product manufacturers. Such electronic component modules can optionally include the driving electronics and/or power source(s). Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be incorporated into a wide variety of consumer products that have one or more of the electronic component modules (or units) incorporated therein. A consumer product comprising an OLED that includes the compound of the present disclosure in the organic layer in the OLED is disclosed. Such consumer products would include any kind of products that include one or more light source(s) and/or one or more of some type of visual displays. Some examples of such consumer products include a flat panel display, a curved display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a light for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, a heads-up display, a fully or partially transparent display, a flexible display, a rollable display, a foldable display, a stretchable display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, tablet, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display that is less than 2 inches diagonal, a 3-D display, a virtual reality or augmented reality display, a vehicle, a video walls comprising multiple displays tiled together, a theater or stadium screen, and a sign. Various control mechanisms may be used to control devices fabricated in accordance with the present invention, including passive matrix and active matrix. Many of the devices are intended for use in a temperature range comfortable to humans, such as 18 C to 30 C, and more preferably at room temperature (20-25 C), but could be used outside this temperature range, for example, from −40 C to 80 C.
The materials and structures described herein may have applications in devices other than OLEDs. For example, other optoelectronic devices such as organic solar cells and organic photodetectors may employ the materials and structures. More generally, organic devices, such as organic transistors, may employ the materials and structures.
In some embodiments, the OLED has one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of being flexible, being rollable, being foldable, being stretchable, and being curved. In some embodiments, the OLED is transparent or semi-transparent. In some embodiments, the OLED further comprises a layer comprising carbon nanotubes.
In some embodiments, the OLED further comprises a layer comprising a delayed fluorescent emitter. In some embodiments, the OLED comprises a RGB pixel arrangement or white plus color filter pixel arrangement. In some embodiments, the OLED is a mobile device, a hand held device, or a wearable device. In some embodiments, the OLED is a display panel having less than 10 inch diagonal or 50 square inch area. In some embodiments, the OLED is a display panel having at least 10 inch diagonal or 50 square inch area. In some embodiments, the OLED is a lighting panel.
In some embodiments of the emissive region, the emissive region further comprises a host.
In some embodiments, the compound can be an emissive dopant. In some embodiments, the compound can produce emissions via phosphorescence, fluorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, i.e., TADF (also referred to as E-type delayed fluorescence), triplet-triplet annihilation, or combinations of these processes.
The OLED disclosed herein can be incorporated into one or more of a consumer product, an electronic component module, and a lighting panel. The organic layer can be an emissive layer and the compound can be an emissive dopant in some embodiments, while the compound can be a non-emissive dopant in other embodiments.
The organic layer can also include a host. In some embodiments, two or more hosts are preferred. In some embodiments, the hosts used maybe a) bipolar, b) electron transporting, c) hole transporting or d) wide band gap materials that play little role in charge transport. In some embodiments, the host can include a metal complex. The host can be an inorganic compound.
Combination with Other Materials
The materials described herein as useful for a particular layer in an organic light emitting device may be used in combination with a wide variety of other materials present in the device. For example, emissive dopants disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with a wide variety of hosts, transport layers, blocking layers, injection layers, electrodes and other layers that may be present. The materials described or referred to below are non-limiting examples of materials that may be useful in combination with the compounds disclosed herein, and one of skill in the art can readily consult the literature to identify other materials that may be useful in combination.
Various materials may be used for the various emissive and non-emissive layers and arrangements disclosed herein. Examples of suitable materials are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0229663, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Conductivity Dopants:A charge transport layer can be doped with conductivity dopants to substantially alter its density of charge carriers, which will in turn alter its conductivity. The conductivity is increased by generating charge carriers in the matrix material, and depending on the type of dopant, a change in the Fermi level of the semiconductor may also be achieved. Hole-transporting layer can be doped by p-type conductivity dopants and n-type conductivity dopants are used in the electron-transporting layer.
HIL/HTL:A hole injecting/transporting material to be used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and any compound may be used as long as the compound is typically used as a hole injecting/transporting material.
EBL:An electron blocking layer (EBL) may be used to reduce the number of electrons and/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. The presence of such a blocking layer in a device may result in substantially higher efficiencies, and or longer lifetime, as compared to a similar device lacking a blocking layer. Also, a blocking layer may be used to confine emission to a desired region of an OLED. In some embodiments, the EBL material has a higher LUMO (closer to the vacuum level) and/or higher triplet energy than the emitter closest to the EBL interface. In some embodiments, the EBL material has a higher LUMO (closer to the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hosts closest to the EBL interface. In one aspect, the compound used in EBL contains the same molecule or the same functional groups used as one of the hosts described below.
Host:The light emitting layer of the organic EL device of the present invention preferably contains at least a metal complex as light emitting material, and may contain a host material using the metal complex as a dopant material. Examples of the host material are not particularly limited, and any metal complexes or organic compounds may be used as long as the triplet energy of the host is larger than that of the dopant. Any host material may be used with any dopant so long as the triplet criteria is satisfied.
HBL:A hole blocking layer (HBL) may be used to reduce the number of holes and/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. The presence of such a blocking layer in a device may result in substantially higher efficiencies and/or longer lifetime as compared to a similar device lacking a blocking layer. Also, a blocking layer may be used to confine emission to a desired region of an OLED. In some embodiments, the HBL material has a lower HOMO (further from the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than the emitter closest to the HBL interface. In some embodiments, the HBL material has a lower HOMO (further from the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hosts closest to the HBL interface.
ETL:An electron transport layer (ETL) may include a material capable of transporting electrons. The electron transport layer may be intrinsic (undoped), or doped. Doping may be used to enhance conductivity. Examples of the ETL material are not particularly limited, and any metal complexes or organic compounds may be used as long as they are typically used to transport electrons.
Charge Generation Layer (CGL)In tandem or stacked OLEDs, the CGL plays an essential role in the performance, which is composed of an n-doped layer and a p-doped layer for injection of electrons and holes, respectively. Electrons and holes are supplied from the CGL and electrodes. The consumed electrons and holes in the CGL are refilled by the electrons and holes injected from the cathode and anode, respectively; then, the bipolar currents reach a steady state gradually. Typical CGL materials include n and p conductivity dopants used in the transport layers.
Organic Vapor Jet Printing (OVJP) is a technique used to print fine lines of organic material on a display backplane without the use of fine metal shadow masks or liquid solvents. The method currently employed to produce mobile and laptop displays uses evaporation sources and fine metal masks to pattern the deposition. Fine metal masks are typically not suitable for use in manufacturing large area displays because the masks cannot be stretched with sufficient force to prevent sagging. Ink jet printing is a potential patterning technique for OLED displays, but the use of solvents to make the inks seriously degrades the performance of the light emitting devices. OVJP eliminates these two issues by printing lines having pixel width without the use of fine metal masks. OVJP uses state of the art OLED materials without dissolving them in solvent.
In OVJP, OLED materials are heated in an enclosed container to an elevated sublimation temperature and transported to a print head through heated gas lines using an inert carrier gas. The print head contains jetting apertures with a spacing that corresponds to the pixel spacing of the display. Apertures are formed in silicon wafers using standard MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) fabrication techniques. Functional OVJP dies are cut from the wafer, with the apertures along one face of the die. Excess organic material is removed from the printing area by vacuum channels inserted into the print die. The aperture face of the die is held above a moving display backplane, and lines corresponding to the pixels are printed on the backplane, as shown in
The gap between the print die and the surface of the backplane may be accurately controlled by measuring the gap in real time and moving the print head relative to the surface of the backplane substrate. However, the flatness of the glass substrate may be considered when designing the length of the print die. The surface peak-to-peak distance (i.e., the distance between neighboring high spots on the surface of the substrate) and peak-to-valley height difference may be used to determine the die length. A print die may be short for a predetermined distance range when the peak-to-peak distance is small (e.g., less than 100 mm), and/or the peak-to-valley height difference exceeds a predetermined fly height tolerance. A short die may enable steeper die angles relative to the substrate surface and better fidelity in following a rolling surface topology. It is desirable to use a longer print die to limit the number of die and associated control hardware for a print bar in an OVJP system. A longer print die may use flatter glass surfaces with peak-to-peak distances that are longer than the die, and peak-to-valley differences that may be less than the fly height tolerance. One arrangement that may be used to flatten the glass surface of the substrate are opposing P-V (pressure-vacuum) type gas bearings.
A P-V gas bearing table that is formed from opposing P-V bearings works by applying a uniform force on the top and bottom surfaces of the glass substrate which is floating on the lower gas bearing. The pressure and vacuum levels in the top bearing may be adjusted so that the bearing facing the surface of the substrate to be flattened is stiffer than the opposing bearing. In this case, the upper bearing may be stiffer, as OVJP prints on the top glass surface of the substrate. The extent to which the glass substrate may be flattened is a function of the spacing between the pressure and vacuum apertures, the pressure and vacuum levels, and/or the distance between the planar bearing surface and the surface of the glass substrate. Closer spacing between the air bearing the surface of the substrate may allow for better flattening of the substrate. Closer spacing may increase the pressure and/or vacuum gas volumes, and/or may increase fabrication cost.
For OVJP printing, the substrate flatness may be 1 μm peak-to-valley over a 150 mm span. To achieve this flatness in the substrate, the spacing of pressure and vacuum apertures in the P-V bearing may be, for example, 13 mm (e.g., spacing 405 as shown in
OVJP may utilize a silicon die as part of a print head that deposits narrow lines on a glass substrate. The die may be made by etching grooves part way through a pair of silicon wafers, and bonding the wafers together so that the grooves face the wafer bond and form enclosed channels. Vias may be etched into one face of one silicon wafer to expose the channels. The wafers may be diced in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the channels, exposing the channels along the edge of the die. Channels may be one pixel-width apart (i.e., one pixel of an OLED) so that lines printed by the channels in the die match the spacing on the substrate. OLED materials may be transported from heated crucibles to the print die using heated carrier gas, such as shown in
Alternating P-V bearing apertures may be configured in a pattern that is parallel to the edges of the P-V bearing plate 401 as shown in
Referring to
To overcome this limitation and provide additional clearance, embodiments of the disclosed subject matter may use the vacuum channels of the OVJP pint die as gas bearing vacuum apertures under the print die 417. This may increase the spacing between neighboring P-V gas bearing apertures from 13 mm to 26 mm by using the print head vacuum to replace the air bearing vacuum apertures. In the embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, the aperture pattern 416 may be rotated 45 degrees to the bearing edge to align the print head with the print direction, such as shown in
According to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter a system may include at least one carrier gas source (e.g., a carrier gas source 202 shown in
The system may include a pair of gas bearing plates (e.g., shown in
The top gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate, and the bottom gas bearing plate may apply a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate. A flatness of the substrate disposed between the top gas bearing plate and the bottom gas bearing plate may be less than 10 μm, less than 5 μm, less than 2 μm, and/or less than 1 μm. The top gas bearing plate may include a slot (e.g., slot 418 shown in
The jet array print head may include a print die (e.g., print die 502 shown in
A first spacing distance between each of the vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates may be the same as a second spacing distance between each of the pressure apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates (e.g., where the spacing is distance 414 shown in
As previously disclosed, Organic Vapor Jet Printing (OVJP) is an emerging, solvent-less organic thin film deposition technology designed to print OLED displays. It utilizes a carrier gas to transport organic material from a heated source container to the print nozzle assembly which is in close proximity to a substrate. The OVJP process may be divided into four basic steps: entrainment, mixing, jetting, and condensation. An example OVJP process is illustrated in
The design of the print nozzle assembly and the deposition conditions determines characteristics of the printed line. Early versions of OVJP print heads could produce printed lines with a line width required to deposit the emissive layers of individual subpixels in a multicolor OLED display (on the order of 50 μm), but the lines had unacceptable overspray and printing could not be started and stopped rapidly. Recently, novel micronozzle array technology has been developed which utilizes a combination of deposition apertures surrounded by exhaust apertures and a gas confinement flow to confine the line width and overspray, referred to as Deposition Exhaust Confinement (DEC) nozzle technology. Conventional DEC-type depositors and DEC depositors disclosed herein operate generally with the same procedure as other OVJP depositors, but have different physical structures that allow for improved deposition footprint and more efficient device fabrication.
The use of gas confinement is a departure from previous OVJP concepts since it requires a chamber pressure of 50 to 300 Torr, rather than high vacuum. Overspray is significantly reduced or completely eliminated by using a flow of confinement gas to prevent the diffusion and transport of organic material away from the desired deposition region. The DEC depositor design, shown from the perspective of the substrate in
Depositors are usually arranged linearly on a micronozzle array 596, so that each depositor borders another on at least one side boundary 597. The top and bottom edges of the depositor 598, 599, respectively, are defined by the edges of the micronozzle array. Distribution trenches 590 etched into the lower face of the depositor provide a low impedance path for confinement gas so that its flow is evenly distributed across the side boundaries of each depositor. Alternately, confinement gas may flow in from the edges of the depositor, particularly if these channels are omitted. Arrays may be designed to minimize crosstalk between depositors so that multiple printed features are as close to identical as possible across the width of the depositor array. Additional exhaust apertures may be placed at the ends of the array, for example, to minimize edge effects. The flow field under a micronozzle array therefore has periodic symmetry. Depositors can have apertures with a wide variety of shapes, designed to produce features of specific sizes and feature profiles. Specific designs are outlined in US Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2015/0376787, 2017/044464, and 2018/0342675, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. A depositor may be defined as a cluster of apertures within a micronozzle array capable of printing a single feature with the same width and normalized thickness profile as one of features printed in a single pass of the entire micronozzle array. If a depositor contains multiple delivery apertures, these apertures are fed from a common delivery channel.
DEC depositors as disclosed herein typically operate differently than, and produce different results than, other non-OVJP deposition systems which typically are used to produce blanket films, such as on semiconductor devices and similar substrates. Such non-OVJP depositors often use material dispensed from multiple openings in a depositor, such as a “showerhead” configuration, and may include evacuation components to remove excess material from the edges of the deposition area. However, such depositors are not capable of depositing clean, small areas of organic emissive materials and other materials used in OLEDs and similar devices.
The average thickness t of a printed film is given by t=ηejτ/ρ, where j is the mass flux of organic vapor onto the substrate, τ is the period of time a given point on the substrate is under the aperture, and p is the density of the condensed organic material. The utilization efficiency, η, is the fraction of organic vapor issuing from the depositor that condenses on the substrate. Because τ=l/v, where l is the length of the aperture and v is the relative velocity between the print head and the substrate, a longer delivery aperture permits a given point on the substrate surface to remain under the aperture for a longer time at a given print speed. This permits faster printing. The apertures of a DEC depositor are generally made to the greatest length that manufacturing techniques will permit. While increased length improves printing speed, it does not necessarily improve η.
A DEC depositor is shown in cross-section a cross section normal to the direction of printing in
Confinement gas may be fed into the depositor from the edges 606 at rate QC. The flow of confinement gas opposes the outward spread of organic vapor and directs surplus organic vapor away from the deposition zone through the exhaust apertures.
OVJP deposition techniques as disclosed herein may be used to deposit a charge transport layer or other non-emissive layer over a substrate instead of, or in addition to, emissive layers. Near total isolation between the printed and non-printed regions of the substrate can be achieved with DEC OVJP to prevent overspray into adjacent subpixels. Such a high level of control may not be necessary if the deposited layer is common to all devices on the substrate. A degree of convective control, however, may be desirable to achieve a desired line size and profile.
Mesa-like line profiles such as shown in
The material utilization efficiency η of the OVJP process has a strong negative dependence on both fly height and the ratio of exhaust to delivery flow QEvQD. Utilization efficiency can vary by 1%/μm or more with fly height. Since η is linearly related to the thickness of printed lines, controlling the thickness of printed lines to within ±1% generally requires the fly height to be controlled to within ±1 μm between each depositor of an entire depositor array and the substrate. This is challenging for long depositor arrays since topographical features on the substrate may be present on the substrate between the locations of either the proximity sensors or actuator linkages on the print head.
In embodiments disclosed herein, it is advantageous to distinguish between average fly height and local fly height. The average fly height of a depositor system as disclosed herein refers to the average separation between each depositor and the substrate. It is typically the set point of the fly height control mechanism. The local fly height as used herein refers to the actual distance between each depositor and the substrate and varies by depositor across a micronozzle array subject to the tolerances of the substrate surface, micronozzle array, and fly height control mechanism. That is, a micronozzle array or equivalent depositor system as disclosed herein may include multiple DEC-type depositors as disclosed herein, each of which may include deposition, exhaust, and confinement apertures and gas flows. In some embodiments, adjacent deposition apertures may share intervening exhaust and/or confinement apertures and gas flows as previously disclosed.
An example scenario in which average and local fly heights may differ is depicted in
The motion of the substrate relative to the print head further complicates the problem of accurately controlling fly height. For example, as illustrated in
The challenge of maintaining an accurate local fly height separation between each depositor of a micronozzle array and the substrate may be mitigated by increasing the deviation between local and average fly height that may be tolerated. The OVJP depositor design disclosed herein reduces the sensitivity of the deposition rate of each depositor to its local fly height.
It is known that deposition rate decreases as fly height increases if the delivery and exhaust flows is constant. This is because the utilization efficiency η of the depositor decreases in an approximately linear manner with increasing fly height. This principle is further described in US Patent Application Pub. No. 2015/0380648, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, where fly height control is described as a method to initiate and pause material deposition. Material will only adhere to the substrate when the OVJP depositor is in proximity to it, so printing may be paused by moving the depositor away from the substrate in the substrate normal direction. When the depositor sufficiently far from the substrate, the utilization efficiency approaches zero. It is also known that deposition rate increases as the delivery gas flow increases. Greater delivery flow results in more material being introduced to the deposition zone, so more will deposit if η is held constant. Therefore, if the delivery gas flow can be automatically increased as the fly height for a depositor increases, this will create compensating effects. Reduced η with greater fly height will decrease deposition, while increased delivery flow will increase deposition.
These two effects may stabilize deposition rate with respect to local fly height over a given window. A decrease in the sensitivity of deposition rate to local fly height variation may not only increase the tolerance permissible between local fly heights and the average fly height but it may also reduce the precision to which a print head positioning system must hold to an average fly height set point. Decreasing the sensitivity of deposition rate to local fly height therefore facilitates a stable printing process.
This principle is illustrated
A depositor for which delivery gas flow increases with fly height is illustrated in cross section in
When the depositor is in proximity to the substrate, the gap of clearance c 1004 between the DE spacers and the substrate creates a high impedance flow path between the delivery and exhaust apertures. A constant pressure delivery flow is choked off by the high impedance and only a relatively small mass flow of delivery gas travels over the substrate and into the exhaust apertures. When the depositor is raised from the substrate, the impedance of the delivery to exhaust aperture flow path decreases and a greater mass flow of delivery gas laden with organic vapor passes over the substrate and into the exhaust aperture. The increase in mass flow of delivery gas is offset by the reduction in deposition efficiency for increasing clearance.
Converting this model back fluid mechanical terms, the volumetric flow of delivery gas QDV and the volumetric flow of exhaust gas QEV are analogous to lD and IE, respectively. The difference ΔP=PD−PC between delivery pressure PD and far-field chamber pressure PC is analogous to VD. The resistances here represent the inverse of conductance to fluid flow. Conductance along the confinement gas flow path is 1/Rc(c)=A(s+c)3 where A is a constant and s=g−c is the difference between the fly height g and the clearance c, so RCO=(As3)−1 and RC′(c)=(Ac(3s2+3sc+c2))−1. The conductance of delivery gas underneath the delivery spacer is Bc3 where B is a constant, so RD(c)=(Bc3)−1.
The variable x=c/s can be used to express a non-dimensional value for clearance in terms of the dam prominence s. Using the parallel plate flow equation, one finds that constants A and B equal 2w/(3 μl), where w and l are the width and length of their respective flow channels and μ is the dynamic viscosity of the gas. Assuming w is the same for both flow paths and μ is uniform throughout the flow field, one gets the expression below. Note that RA′ is related to RA by a constant.
The above equation is used to plot delivery flow in standard cubic centimeters/min on the vertical axis 1101 of
A more detailed model of this system was generated using COMSOL Multiphysics on a geometry like that of shown in
Deposition rates are plotted for a depositor with dam prominence s=30 μm and DE spacer widths DE=25 μm 1301 with a dashed line, DE=50 μm 1302 with a solid line, and DE=75 μm 1303 with a dotted line in
Deposition rates for a set of depositors with DE=50 μm are plotted in
The deposition profile generated by each depositor at its optimal clearance is plotted in
Rules for designing an optimal depositor can be inferred from these trends. The delivery gas flow path lD and therefore DE should be made as wide as the feature sizes required for a given printing application will permit. Once the DE spacer is sized, the dam around the delivery aperture should be as prominent as is needed to provide an optimal deposition rate at a clearance that can be reliably maintained. The tolerance window with which a clearance can be maintained across a depositor array and the effect it has on deposition rate must also be considered when choosing s.
The flux-regulated (“self regulating”) depositor concepts disclosed herein may be combined with other OVJP depositor design features, including those disclosed in US Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2017/0294615, 2019/0218655, and 2019/0221783, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of such a configuration is shown in
Deposition rates for a depositor of this design are shown in
Each exhaust aperture may be separated from the associated delivery aperture by a portion of the nozzle block that extends downward (i.e., toward the bottom of the nozzle block as defined above) to a plane that is co-planar with the bottom surface of the nozzle block to form a dam 1530 between the delivery aperture and the exhaust aperture. Each exhaust aperture may be further defined by a second portion of the nozzle block 1540, for example a portion opposite the exhaust aperture from the first portion that forms the dam, which portion does not extend to the plane. Examples of dams are also shown in
Since each delivery aperture typically has two opposing exhaust apertures arranged on either side of the delivery aperture, the delivery aperture may have a dam on either side. The dams may be different widths, i.e., there may be a different amount of nozzle block material between the delivery aperture and each of two or more exhaust apertures, when measured along the shortest distance between the adjacent apertures or from one exhaust aperture to the other along a line that crosses the delivery aperture. Dam widths for embodiments disclosed herein may be, for example, 10-100 μm, more preferably 25-50 μm, or any intermediate width. In some embodiments, one dam may have a width that is 2 to 5 times the width of the other dam. Each dam may extend a distance s as previously disclosed away from the same level as the other portion of the nozzle block that forms the exhaust aperture. In various embodiments, s may take any value previously disclosed, such as 10-40 μm. During operation of the depositor, the dams may impede fluid communication between the delivery aperture and the associated exhaust apertures, as previously disclosed herein.
A similar structure may be used for each delivery/exhaust aperture arrangement.
A nozzle block including dams as shown in
As previously disclosed and as illustrated by the various gas flow diagrams presented herein, during operation of a depositor as shown in
To operate the depositor shown in
It is understood that the various embodiments described herein are by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, many of the materials and structures described herein may be substituted with other materials and structures without deviating from the spirit of the invention. The present invention as claimed may therefore include variations from the particular examples and preferred embodiments described herein, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. It is understood that various theories as to why the invention works are not intended to be limiting.
Claims
1. A system comprising:
- at least one carrier gas source;
- at least one heated container that includes organic material;
- a jet array print head that includes a plurality of apertures to print lines on a substrate, and that is connected to a vacuum source;
- a plurality of gas lines that are communicatively coupled the at least one carrier gas source, the at least one heated container, and the jet array print head, wherein the carrier gas transmits the organic material through the gas lines to the jet array print head that contains the jetting apertures; and
- a pair of gas bearing plates, including a top gas bearing plate and a bottom gas bearing plate, each having a plurality of pressure apertures and vacuum apertures, wherein the top gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate and the bottom gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the top gas bearing plate includes a slot configured for the print head to fit within, and wherein the vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates are arranged perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates are arranged in a pattern that is 45 degree from the vacuum apertures.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of gas bearing plates are comprised of at least one selected from the group consisting of: metal, ceramic, and silicon carbide.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure apertures and exhaust apertures are arranged on the pair of gas bearing plates in an alternating pattern that runs parallel to at least one edge of each of the pair of gas bearing plates.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein a width of the slot is at least one selected from the group consisting of: 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, 15 mm of less, 10 mm or less, 8 mm or less, and 5 mm or less.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein a flatness of the substrate disposed between the top gas bearing plate and the bottom gas bearing plate is at least one selected from the group consisting of: less than 10 μm, less than 5 μm, less than 2 μm, and less than 1 μm.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the jet array print head comprises:
- a print die; and
- a gas manifold with an embedded heater that is coupled to a heated injection block.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the injection block is coupled to a device to control a gap between the jet array print head and the substrate.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the injection block includes an interface to a gas and vacuum distribution network.
10. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of: (i) insulation disposed on outer surfaces of the gas manifold and the embedded heater, and (ii) an active cooling device configured to cool a volume surrounding the heated gas manifold.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein a first spacing distance between each of the vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates is the same as a second spacing distance between each of the pressure apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first spacing between the vacuum apertures or the second spacing of the pressure apertures in the pair of gas bearing plates is selected from at least one of the group consisting of: 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, 15 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 8 mm or less, 6 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 4 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 2 mm or less, and 1 mm or less.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the print head is an organic vapor jet printing (OVJP) print head.
14. A consumer electronic device fabricated using the system comprising:
- at least one carrier gas source;
- at least one heated container that includes organic material;
- a jet array print head that includes a plurality of apertures to print lines on a substrate, and that is connected to a vacuum source;
- a plurality of gas lines that are communicatively coupled the at least one carrier gas source, the at least one heated container, and the jet array print head, wherein the carrier gas transmits the organic material through the gas lines to the jet array print head that contains the jetting apertures; and
- a pair of gas bearing plates, including a top gas bearing plate and a bottom gas bearing plate, each having a plurality of pressure apertures and vacuum apertures, wherein the top gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a top surface of the substrate and the bottom gas bearing plate applies a uniform force to a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the top gas bearing plate includes a slot configured for the print head to fit within, and wherein the vacuum apertures of the pair of gas bearing plates are arranged perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate.
15. The consumer electronic device fabricated by the system of claim 14, wherein the device is at least one type selected from the group consisting of: a flat panel display, a curved display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a light for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, a heads-up display, a fully or partially transparent display, a flexible display, a rollable display, a foldable display, a stretchable display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, tablet, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display that is less than 2 inches diagonal, a 3-D display, a virtual reality or augmented reality display, a vehicle, a video walls comprising multiple displays tiled together, a theater or stadium screen, and a sign.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 24, 2022
Publication Date: Jan 12, 2023
Inventors: William E. QUINN (Whitehouse Station, NJ), Craig Anthony Outten (Rydal, PA), Kent Khuong Nguyen (San Jose, CA), Steven Shigeki Aochi (San Jose, CA), Neil D. NGUYEN (Milpitas, CA)
Application Number: 17/848,674
